The presence and use of electricity is an everyday necessity that every modern home and business enjoys. Equally enduring is the periodic cost of that electricity, based on the amount, typically in kilo-watt/hours (kwh), used at the specific location. Efforts to combat the ever-present high-cost of electricity in homes and businesses have explored a number of different avenues. For example, in the general consumer market (e.g., residences) solar power as a replacement for electricity provided by typical utility companies has been attempted relatively unsuccessfully in so-called “off-grid” connections. Such off-grid connections embody the use of solar power in lieu of conventional in-home electricity.
Whether it be the initial costs associated with such off-grid systems or the relatively difficult and costly maintenance required, off-grid systems have typically not been accepted by the consumer market. As a result, the use of solar power to supplement, rather than replace, conventional electricity has continued to gain acceptance. These so-called “on-grid” systems typically work in conjunction with conventional electrical connections to supplement that electrical power, for example, during times of peak use. By supplementing conventionally available electricity, the overall annual cost of residential (or commercial) electricity may be substantially reduced.
Conventional residential solar-powered on-grid systems are typically incorporated into the roof of a house, due to its orientation towards the sky. Earlier systems employed large, flat crystal solar panels dispersed across the surface of the roof to collect the solar energy. However, the fragility and high cost of the crystal materials, as well as the clearly distinguishable appearance of the panels from ordinary roofing shingles, has resulted in essentially a rejection of such system by the market place.
Modern systems have developed members of solar shingles that are more durable and predominantly resemble ordinary roofing shingles, thus substantially concealing the system from plain view. Unfortunately, even such modern systems suffer from deficiencies, such as the need to form multiple holes through the roof deck and into the attic area for each shingle member in order to electrically connect all of the shingle members to create a functional system. As the number of holes formed through the roof deck increases, so too do the chances of leakage through the roof during inclement weather. Moreover, making the electrical connections from one shingle member to the next, and then to the circuit breaker box of the home, is typically quite tedious and exhausting.
In addition, because the shingle members replace the ordinary shingles typically used on roofs, an experienced or specifically skilled installer is typically needed to properly align and electrically interconnect the solar shingle members during installation, just as with ordinary shingles, so that the aesthetics of the entire roof are preserved. Even so, panels located in the middle of a roofing section tend to be aesthetically unpleasing as they detract from the section's homogeneous and symmetrical appearance. As a result, a relatively inexpensive and residentially available solar-powered system is needed that does not suffer from these deficiencies.